Acute hypoxia upregulates NOS gene expression in rats

This study aimed to investigate the influence of acute tissue hypoxygenation on the expression of NO synthase (NOS) genes in vivo. To this end, male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed either to 9% oxygen or to 0.1% carbon monoxide for 6 h, and mRNA levels of NOS-I, -II, and -III in kidneys, livers, lungs, and left and right heart ventricles were assayed by ribonuclease protection. For comparison, mRNA levels of erythropoietin were also measured in these tissues. NOS-III mRNA was highly abundant in all organs investigated. NOS-II mRNA was detected in lungs and hearts but not in kidneys and livers. NOS-I mRNA was found in kidneys, lungs, and hearts but not in livers. NOS-III mRNA levels were upregulated by hypoxia in all tissues examined, with the least effect (1.2-fold) in the left ventricle and the greatest effect (2.6-fold) in the lung. NOS-II mRNA was substantially downregulated in the ventricles by both treatments but not changed in the lung. NOS-I mRNA was upregulated by carbon monoxide in kidneys and lungs and by 9% oxygen in the lung. These findings suggest that NOS-III and possibly also NOS-I gene expression behave like oxygen-regulated genes, whereas the general effect of tissue hypoxygenation on NOS-II gene expression is less clear. Because NOS-III is primarily expressed in endothelial cells, a general upregulation of NOS in these cells may be of relevance for the regulation and maintenance of blood flow through hypoxic tissues.